These Clay County emergency numbers, flood and hurricane resources, utility contacts and county services were checked against an official government source rather than copied from a directory. Clay County is unusual in one important way: which utility serves you, who picks up your trash and even which police department answers depends on whether your address is inside a town or in unincorporated county. This guide sorts that out. Provided free by Nathan Young and North Star Mortgage Network, Inc., serving Florida homeowners since April 2000.

Clay County Emergency Numbers: Quick Reference

Service	Number	When to use it
Emergency — police, fire, medical	911	Any immediate threat to life, safety or property
Sheriff’s Office — non-emergency	904-264-6512	Reports, questions, non-urgent law enforcement
Emergency Management / EOC	1-877-252-9362	1-877-CLA-YEOC. Storm information, shelters, evacuation
Fire Rescue — non-emergency	904-284-7703	Inspections, records, general questions
Fire Rescue dispatch — after hours	904-269-1047	After-hours non-emergency, including animal calls
Florida Poison Control	800-222-1222	Poisoning, snake bite, medication questions — 24/7
Animal Services	904-269-6342	Option 3 for Animal Control
Garbage — FCC Environmental	904-490-9996	Missed collection, bulk requests, collection issues
Clay Electric — report an outage	855-939-3840	Power outages in most of the county
Clay County Utility Authority	904-272-5999	Water and sewer, unincorporated county
County main line	904-269-6300	Any county department you cannot place
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline	988	Mental health crisis — call, text or chat, 24/7

Read This First: Your Address Decides Almost Everything

Clay County has four incorporated municipalities and a large unincorporated area, and the services do not match up. The most common mistake we see from new homeowners is assuming an Orange Park mailing address means they live in the Town of Orange Park. Most do not.

If you live in…	Water & sewer	Electric	Garbage	Police (non-emergency)
Unincorporated Clay Fleming Island, Middleburg, Oakleaf, Lake Asbury, Doctors Inlet, Clay Hill, most “Orange Park” addresses	CCUA 904-272-5999	Clay Electric 855-939-3840	FCC 904-490-9996	Sheriff 904-264-6512
Town of Orange Park (inside town limits only)	Town 904-278-3016	JEA 904-665-6000	Town 904-278-3016	Orange Park PD 904-264-5555
Green Cove Springs (and some just outside)	City 904-297-7500	City 904-297-7500	FCC 904-490-9996	City police
Keystone Heights	Call City Hall 352-473-4807	Clay Electric 855-939-3840	FCC 904-490-9996	Sheriff 352-473-7211
Penney Farms	Town 904-529-9078	Clay Electric	FCC	Sheriff

Flooding Is the Clay County Story

Most Northeast Florida hurricane content is written about storm surge on the coast. In Clay County the bigger and more frequent problem is fresh water — and it catches new residents every year.

The county names these as its flood-prone waterways: the St. Johns River, the North and South Forks of Black Creek, Little Black Creek, Governors Creek, Peters Creek and Doctors Inlet. Kingsley Lake, Lake Asbury, Lake Brooklyn and Lake Geneva are also at risk of inundation. The county adds that areas along the St. Johns River and the Black Creek system are also subject to hurricane storm surge, and that much of the county floods repetitively from heavy rainfall in tropical systems and even from ordinary afternoon thunderstorms.

Property in a Special Flood Hazard Area (Zone A or AE) has, by the county’s own figure, a 26 percent chance of flooding during the life of a 30-year mortgage. That is not a rounding error, and it is worth knowing before you close rather than after.

Resource	Where
Look up your flood zone	public.claycountygov.com/floodzone
Floodplain management, elevation certificates, FEMA map questions	Planning & Zoning, 904-278-4705
Black Creek river levels	NWS Southeast River Forecast Center — updated twice daily
St. Johns River levels	NOAA Tides & Currents

Clay County Emergency Numbers for Hurricanes and Evacuation

Of all the Clay County emergency numbers on this page, the alert system below is the one that reaches you before something happens rather than after.

Alert Clay

Alert Clay is the county’s official emergency notification system, running on Everbridge. It delivers by text message, phone call and email. Registration is free and takes about three minutes.

Sign up at the county’s Alert Clay page. If you take one action from this page, make it that one.

The county also uses the SaferWatch app for public-safety alerts and anonymous crime tips, and posts as @ClayCtyEm on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Evacuation zones

Clay County uses zones A through E, including the North Prong and South Prong of Black Creek as their own designation. Look up your address at public.claycountygov.com/evaczone.

All mobile homes and manufactured homes in Clay County are considered Zone A, regardless of where they are located. That is the county’s own language, and it means Middleburg and Keystone Heights residents in manufactured housing are in the first group called to evacuate no matter what the map shows for their street.

NOAA Weather Radio

Clay County’s SAME code is 012019. Three transmitters cover the county: 162.550 MHz (Jacksonville), 162.425 MHz (Palatka) and 162.475 MHz (Gainesville). Orange Park, Fleming Island and Green Cove Springs generally do best on Jacksonville; Keystone Heights usually receives Gainesville more reliably. Enter the code as six digits.

Shelters

Not all shelters open for every storm, and the county does not publish a fixed list. Locations are announced when shelters are activated — check the county website, local news or call the EOC at 1-877-252-9362.

Pet-friendly shelters may be opened during an emergency, accepting dogs, cats, rodents, rabbits and fowl with vaccination records. Locations are announced with the activation.

Special medical needs sheltering requires pre-registration, and Clay County runs its own registry — not the state portal. Call Emergency Management at 904-529-2770 to request a form, or download the form and mail it to Clay County Special Medical Needs Registry, P.O. Box 1366, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043. It covers people needing daily skilled nursing, help with activities of daily living, or electricity-dependent life-supporting equipment. A caregiver must stay with the registrant, and registration does not guarantee transportation or placement. Register before hurricane season.

Clay County does not publish an evacuation route map. The county’s guidance is to plan at least two routes in case roads are blocked, and to use Florida 511 for live road conditions.

Trash, Recycling and Storm Debris

Trash questions generate more calls than any other item in this list of Clay County emergency numbers and services. Residential collection is handled by FCC Environmental Services under contract to the county: 904-490-9996 for missed collection, bulk requests and collection problems. Garbage and yard waste are collected weekly; carts must be out by 6 a.m.

Bulk pickup is on-call and limited: two large items or up to three cubic yards, one bulk pickup per household per month. Appliances, furniture, mattresses and televisions are accepted; construction debris, gas engines and hot tubs are not.

Facility	Address	Hours
Rosemary Hill Solid Waste Facility Household hazardous waste accepted here	3545 Rosemary Hill Road, Green Cove Springs	Mon–Sat 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Clay Hill Convenience Center	5869 County Road 218, Middleburg	Generally Thu–Sat 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. — verify before you go
Doctors Inlet Convenience Center	288 Sleepy Hollow Road, Middleburg
Keystone Heights Convenience Center	5505 County Road 214, Keystone Heights
Long Bay Convenience Center	1589 Long Bay Road, Middleburg

Rosemary Hill takes motor oil, antifreeze, car and boat batteries, drain cleaners, fluorescent tubes, liquid paint and thinners, pesticides, pool chemicals, polishes and strippers, and anything labeled corrosive, flammable, reactive or toxic. Business-generated hazardous waste is not accepted. Facilities line: 904-284-6374.

No residential collection on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Service shifts one day later for the rest of that week.

After a storm

Debris procedures are announced storm by storm. Based on how the county handled Hurricane Milton debris in 2024: separate vegetative from non-vegetative debris; pile vegetative debris by the road, not against trees, electrical boxes, poles, hydrants or storm drains; bagged or containerized yard waste is collected by FCC on the normal weekly route; non-vegetative storm debris such as wooden fencing goes through an FCC bulk pickup at 904-490-9996. Drop-off was available at Rosemary Hill, Doctors Inlet and Keystone Heights. Watch the county website and Alert Clay for the current storm’s instructions.

Power Outages

Utility	Serves	Report an outage
Clay Electric Cooperative	Most of unincorporated Clay County	855-939-3840 · outage map Registered MyClayElectric users: text OUT or STATUS to 855-939-3840 Main office 800-224-4917
JEA	Town of Orange Park and some surrounding areas	904-665-6000 · jea.com/outage_center
Green Cove Springs Electric	The city and a surrounding customer base	Daytime 904-297-7094 (Electric Dept) · nights, all day Friday and weekends 904-297-7300 or 904-529-2220 (Police)
Florida Power & Light	A small Clay County footprint	1-800-468-8243 · fpl.com/powertracker

Four electric providers operate inside this one county. The definitive answer is the name on your bill. The county says Clay Electric can help determine which provider serves a given address.

One official instruction worth repeating: Clay Electric asks customers not to report outages on social media or by email — those messages do not reach the control center.

Roads, Potholes and Drainage

Clay County Public Works handles roads, sidewalks, bridges, drainage systems, stormwater facilities and roadside rights-of-way: 904-284-6335, 5 Esplanade Avenue, Green Cove Springs, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Clay Connected is the county’s free web portal and mobile app for reporting potholes, missed collection and other non-emergency issues. Requests are processed during business hours; emergencies go to 911. Start at claycountygov.com/community/clay-connected.

For flood zone questions, elevation certificates and FEMA map issues, call Planning & Zoning at 904-278-4705.

Animals, Pets and Wildlife

Two of the most-used Clay County emergency numbers involve animals, and domestic animals and wildlife go to different agencies. Clay County Animal Services: 904-269-6342, select Option 3 for Animal Control. Dispatch runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The shelter is at 3984 State Road 16 West, Green Cove Springs, open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After 6:30 p.m., animal emergencies go to Fire Rescue dispatch at 904-269-1047 or Sheriff’s dispatch at 904-264-6512. Dispatchers notify the on-call Animal Control Officer.

Lost or found a pet? Upload a photo to Petco Love Lost, check the county lost-and-found page, call 904-269-6342, or submit through Clay Connected. Livestock has its own page — useful in a county with this much acreage.

Wildlife is FWC, not the county. Nuisance alligators: 866-392-4286. Injured manatees, sea turtles, panthers, bears or wildlife violations: 888-404-3922, 24 hours.

Property, Taxes and New Homeowner Resources

Just bought a home in Clay County? Don’t forget Homestead Exemption

If the home is your permanent primary residence, Florida law may allow a homestead exemption that reduces taxable value and caps how fast your assessed value can rise. The filing deadline is March 1, and nobody files it for you — not your Realtor, not your title company, not your lender. In Clay County, homestead renews automatically each January once it is in place, with renewal notices mailed on or before February 1.

Clay County Property Appraiser: 904-284-6305, County Administration Building, Green Cove Springs. Call about portability and the other exemptions — senior, veteran, widow and widower, disability. Late filing may be possible with documented extenuating circumstances, but do not plan around it. Confirm eligibility directly with that office; this is not tax or legal advice.

Office	Contact	What they handle
Tax Collector	904-269-6320 claycountytax.com	Property taxes, driver licenses, tags and titles, concealed weapon licenses, birth certificates. Branches in Green Cove Springs (477 Houston St), Orange Park (518 Kingsley Ave), Middleburg (2710 Blanding Blvd) and Keystone Heights (115 NE Commercial Cir). Uses QLess reservations.
Clerk of Court & Comptroller	904-284-6302 clayclerk.com	825 N. Orange Avenue. Official records, recording, marriage licenses, passports
Supervisor of Elections	904-269-6350 clayelections.gov	500 N. Orange Ave. Text CLAYVOTES to 91896 for election alerts, or text Hi to 904-297-2122 for the info line
Veterans Services	904-529-4256	477 Houston St. Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m. Disability compensation, pensions, education, medical and survivor benefits
Community Services	904-269-6300	Housing and community development, financial assistance, mobility and transportation support
Florida Dept. of Health in Clay County	904-529-2800	1845 Town Center Blvd, Building 600, Fleming Island. Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Parks & Recreation	904-284-6378	477 Houston St, Green Cove Springs

The New Clay County Homeowner Checklist

Work through this list of Clay County emergency numbers and first-week tasks. It takes about an hour and it is the difference between being ready and scrambling.

1. Review your Homestead Exemption eligibility with the Property Appraiser at 904-284-6305. Deadline is March 1.
2. Register for Alert Clay. Free, and it delivers by text, call and email.
3. Look up your evacuation zone AND your flood zone. In this county they are two different maps and both matter.
4. Find out whether your address is inside a town or unincorporated. It determines your water, electric, garbage and police.
5. Confirm your electric provider from the name on your bill and set up outage alerts.
6. Learn that there is no curbside recycling here — cardboard goes to a Convenience Center.
7. Save FCC Environmental: 904-490-9996 for anything trash-related.
8. Save the Sheriff’s non-emergency number: 904-264-6512.
9. Save Florida Poison Control: 800-222-1222.
10. Download Clay Connected for potholes and service requests.
11. If anyone in the home has special medical needs, register with the county at 904-529-2770.

What Most Clay County Homeowners Want to Know

• An Orange Park mailing address usually means unincorporated Clay County, not the Town of Orange Park — and that changes four of your utilities.
• Alert Clay is the official emergency notification system. There is no emergency text short code.
• Evacuation zones run A through E. Every mobile and manufactured home is Zone A regardless of location.
• Flooding here comes from the St. Johns River, Black Creek and heavy rainfall as much as from surge.
• A home in a Special Flood Hazard Area has roughly a 26 percent chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage, per the county.
• There is no curbside recycling in Clay County. Cardboard only, at a Convenience Center.
• Bulk pickup is one per household per month, two items or three cubic yards.
• Four electric providers serve this county. Check your bill.
• Special medical needs sheltering uses the county registry, not the state portal.
• Homestead Exemption has a March 1 deadline and nobody files it for you.

Clay County Emergency Numbers: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Clay County Sheriff’s non-emergency number?
904-264-6512. A second general line is 904-284-7575, and records is 904-529-6090. The Sheriff’s Office publishes 911 as call or text.

How do I sign up for Clay County emergency alerts?
Register for Alert Clay on the county Emergency Management website. It delivers by text message, phone call and email. Clay County Emergency Management does not use a text short code — a “text to 91896” instruction belongs to the Supervisor of Elections or the City of Keystone Heights, not to emergency management.

How do I find my Clay County evacuation zone?
Enter your address at public.claycountygov.com/evaczone. Zones run A through E, including the North and South Prong of Black Creek. All mobile and manufactured homes are considered Zone A regardless of location.

Does Clay County have curbside recycling?
No. Recycling in Clay County is drop-off only, and only clean, flat corrugated cardboard is accepted, at the county’s Environmental Convenience Centers.

Who do I call about missed trash pickup in Clay County?
FCC Environmental Services, the county’s contracted hauler, at 904-490-9996. That is also the number for bulk pickup requests and collection problems.

How does bulk pickup work in Clay County?
It is on-call and limited to two large items or up to three cubic yards, one pickup per household per month. Appliances, furniture, mattresses and TVs are accepted; construction debris, gas engines and hot tubs are not. Schedule at 904-490-9996.

Who do I call about a pothole or drainage problem in Clay County?
Clay County Public Works at 904-284-6335, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or report it through the Clay Connected app or web portal.

How do I report a power outage in Clay County?
It depends on your provider. Clay Electric: 855-939-3840, or text OUT to that number once registered. JEA (Town of Orange Park and surrounding areas): 904-665-6000. Green Cove Springs Electric: 904-297-7094 during city business hours, which are Mon–Thu 7am–5:30pm; nights, all day Friday and weekends the city routes outages to the Police Department at 904-297-7300 or 904-529-2220. Do not use the City Hall number for an outage — it is closed most of the week. FPL: 1-800-468-8243. Clay Electric asks that you do not report outages by social media or email.

Who provides my water and sewer in Clay County?
Clay County Utility Authority serves unincorporated areas including Fleming Island, Middleburg, Oakleaf and Lake Asbury — 904-272-5999, the same number for emergencies. The Town of Orange Park (904-278-3016), City of Green Cove Springs (904-297-7500) and Town of Penney Farms (904-529-9078) serve their own residents.

Who do I call about a stray or aggressive animal in Clay County?
Animal Services at 904-269-6342, Option 3. Dispatch runs Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. After 6:30 p.m., call Fire Rescue dispatch at 904-269-1047 or the Sheriff at 904-264-6512.

How do I find out if my Clay County home is in a flood zone?
Use the county flood zone lookup at public.claycountygov.com/floodzone, and call Planning & Zoning at 904-278-4705 for elevation certificates and FEMA map questions. The county reports that property in a Special Flood Hazard Area has about a 26 percent chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage.

Where do I apply for Homestead Exemption in Clay County?
With the Clay County Property Appraiser at 904-284-6305. The deadline is March 1. Once granted, homestead renews automatically each January. Confirm eligibility with that office; this is not tax or legal advice.

Where can I find Clay County hurricane shelters?
Not all shelters open for every storm and the county does not publish a fixed list. Locations are announced when activated — check the county website, local news or call 1-877-252-9362. Pet-friendly shelters may be opened. Special medical needs sheltering requires pre-registration with the county at 904-529-2770.

Information Last Verified

Why a Mortgage Company Built This

Nathan Young founded North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. in Jacksonville in April 2000. Twenty-six years later, the company has helped thousands of Florida families buy, build, refinance and invest — including a great many in Clay County, from Fleming Island and Oakleaf to Middleburg, Green Cove Springs and Keystone Heights.

Closing a loan is a moment. Living in the house is the rest of it — which is why a mortgage company keeps a list of Clay County emergency numbers current. In Clay County that means knowing your flood zone before the rain, knowing which of four electric companies to call before the lights go out, and knowing that the recycling bin you brought from your last house is not going to be collected.

Helpful next steps: Clay County mortgage broker · Orange Park · Fleming Island · Middleburg · How homeowners insurance affects your mortgage · Homestead exemption savings · USDA 100% financing · First-time homebuyer resources · Today’s rates · Calculators · Purchase Assistant

The Bottom Line

These Clay County emergency numbers are worth ten minutes of your time on an ordinary afternoon, because you will not have ten minutes on the afternoon you need them. Find out whether you are in a town or in unincorporated county. Look up both your evacuation zone and your flood zone. Register for Alert Clay. Then print this and put it on the refrigerator.

North Star Mortgage Network has served Florida borrowers since April 2000. Your best interest is my principal concern — and that does not stop at the closing table.

About This Resource

This page is a free reference list, not an emergency service. North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. does not answer emergency calls, dispatch help, monitor this page, or act on anything reported here. We are a mortgage broker. We put these numbers in one place because our clients kept asking for them.

If you need help urgently and it is not a 911 emergency, call the main number for the agency you need — the Sheriff’s non-emergency line, your county Emergency Management office, your utility, Poison Control at 800-222-1222, or 988 for a mental health crisis. Talk to a person at the agency rather than relying on a web page.

Every number and link here was checked against an official government or utility source on the verification date shown above. Even so, phone numbers, alert systems, utility service areas, shelter lists and county procedures change, sometimes without notice, and we cannot guarantee any listing is current at the moment you read it. Confirm anything important with the agency directly. During an active emergency, follow the current instructions from your county Emergency Management office and public safety officials over anything published here.

Nothing on this page is medical, legal, insurance or tax advice. If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell us at 904-613-7700 so we can fix it.

Source Verification List

Every one of the Clay County emergency numbers and resources on this page was verified August 28, 2026 against: Clay County Government (claycountygov.com) — Emergency Management, Alert Clay, Alert Clay FAQ, evacuation and flood zones, evacuation shelters, special medical needs, be prepared, flood and FEMA information, garbage and recycling, recycling, facilities, household hazardous waste, solid waste FAQ, Public Works, Clay Connected, Animal Services and enforcement, lost and found animals, Veterans Services, Community Services, Parks & Recreation, county utilities and contact pages · Clay County Sheriff’s Office (claysheriff.com) · Clay County Property Appraiser (ccpao.com) · Clay County Tax Collector (claycountytax.com) · Clay County Clerk of Court & Comptroller (clayclerk.com) · Clay County Supervisor of Elections (clayelections.gov) · Florida Department of Health in Clay County (clay.floridahealth.gov) · Clay County Utility Authority (clayutility.org) · City of Green Cove Springs (greencovesprings.com) · Town of Orange Park (townoforangepark.com) · City of Keystone Heights (keystoneheights.us) · Clay Electric Cooperative (clayelectric.com) · JEA (jea.com) · Florida Power & Light (fpl.com, filed electric tariff communities-served listing) · National Weather Service Jacksonville (weather.gov/jax, NWR SAME code listing) and Southeast River Forecast Center (weather.gov/serfc) · NOAA Tides & Currents · National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov) · Florida Division of Emergency Management (floridadisaster.org) · FEMA (fema.gov, disasterassistance.gov) · Florida Department of Financial Services (myfloridacfo.com) · Florida Poison Information Center Network (floridapoisoncontrol.org) · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com) · FL511 (fl511.com) · United Way of Northeast Florida 211 (unitedwaynefl.org) · 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org)

Nathan Young is the Founder and President of North Star Mortgage Network, Inc., which he founded in Jacksonville, Florida in April 2000. He has more than two decades of Florida mortgage experience and works with homebuyers, homeowners, investors and Realtors throughout Clay County, Northeast Florida and the state. Recognition includes NAMB Mortgage Broker of the Year 2025, Five Star Mortgage Professional 2024 and 2025, Three Best Rated Jacksonville recognition, and an A+ BBB rating.

North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. · Serving all of Florida since April 2000
Nathan Young, Founder & President · 904-613-7700 · nathan@nsmn.com
www.nsmn.com · www.nathanyoung.com
Nathan Young NMLS #325206 · North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. NMLS #356789
“Your best interest is my principal concern.”

This article is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not medical, legal, insurance or tax advice, and it is not an offer of credit. Mortgage programs are available for qualified borrowers; program guidelines apply; rates and terms are subject to change; all loans are subject to credit approval. Any payment or rate discussion is an estimate based on the information provided. Emergency and government information is reproduced from official sources as of the verification date above and may change without notice — during an emergency, follow current instructions from Clay County Emergency Management and public safety officials.